Menoyawin hosts site dedication ceremony with area First Nations
From the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal ...
Meno Ya Win Health Centre a step closer
September 8, 2007
Completion of the Meno Ya Win Health Centre (http://www.slmhc.on.ca/home.htm) in Sioux Lookout in 2010 will fulfill the “hopes and dreams” of quality health care services for area First Nations, Frank Beardy claims.
The site dedication for the new hospital Wednesday marked a major milestone in progress toward a new, distinctive complex that will include a hospital and related services, said Beardy, who is co-chairman of the hospital board.
“All people of Sioux Lookout and area and our 28 northern communities will benefit from this new centre,” he said, adding, “The hopes and dreams of many years are finally becoming a reality.”
The new health complex will consist of an $84-million hospital, a $10-million hostel for residents from 28 northern First Nations travelling to or through Sioux Lookout for health care, as well as other related health services which are currently spread over eight sites in the community.
“We all look forward with anticipation and optimism for the impact this new hospital will have on improving health outcomes for First Nation people,” said Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler.
“The determinants of health for our people are mostly social and require sustained efforts to break down the systemic barriers faced in our communities,” he said. “The Meno Ya Win Health Centre represents one of many resources needed to raise the standards of living for our people, and we‘ve waited a long time for it to become a reality.”
Many services will be expanded or enhanced within the 140,000-square-foot health centre, including traditional healing and support areas, a dedicated palliative care area, visiting specialist clinic, CT scan unit, and screening and diagnostic mammography.
Construction is to begin in the spring, with completion slated for early 2010.
Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman called the health centre “a significant step . . . (toward) access to the best quality care” for aboriginal communities.
Sioux Lookout Mayor Kathy Poling noted that the hospital will be “a testament to the vision and dedication of four orders of government working together with communities to provide a higher standard of health care for all people in this region.”
Wednesday‘s site dedication included drumming by Lac Seul and NAN drum groups followed by a Four Directions ceremony with area church leaders and traditional people participating in the procession to mark the dedication. First Nation leaders brought soil from their communities to mix with the soil on site, symbolic of partnerships and working together.